Materials handling assembly

ABSTRACT

A fully automatic machine for producing &#34;green tires&#34; or unvulcanized tire carcasses, especially suitable for making tubeless tires. The machine comprises a plurality of interconnected and dependent assembles or stations where specialized operations, normally done semi-automatically or by hand, are carried out by mechanical devices acting in sequence. The machine includes, a plurality of conventional tire building drums continuously moving between horizontally disposed, stationary table assemblies where innerliner and chafer strips, and first and second ply material are successively wrapped on the drums as they move across the table on which the material is positioned. The wrapped drums from these assemblies, are sent to turret units where they are accurately positioned for receiving beads, tread cushion, stitching, strips of whitewall, if required, and are discharged from the collapsed drums for removal and storage. The stripped drums, or drums from which tires are removed, are automatically expanded and recycled through the assemblies for building more tire carcasses.

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United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 156-405 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A fully automatic machine for producing green tires orunvulcanized tire carcasses, especially suitable for making tubelesstires. The machine comprises a plurality of interconnected and dependentassemblies or stations where specialized operations, normally donesemi-automatically or by hand, are carried out by mechanical devicesacting in sequence. The machine includes a plurality of conventionaltire building drums continuously moving between horizontally disposed,stationary table assemblies where innerlner and chafer strips, and firstand second ply material are successively Wrapped on the drums as theymove across the table on which the material is positioned. The wrappeddrums from these assemblies, are sent to turret units Where they arearcuately positioned for receiving beads, tread cushion, stitching,strips of Whitewall, if required, and are discharged from the collapseddrums for removal and storage. The stripped drums, or drums from whichtires are removed, are automatically expanded and recycled through theassemblies for building more tire carcasses.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 10,579 led Feb. 11, 1970, nowU.S. Pat. 3,700,526, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference, and which may be consulted for relation between theseveral inventive concepts of the continuing divided inventions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING The following description ofthe invention will be better understood by referring to the annexeddrawing, wherein:

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the machine.

FIG. 52 is a plan View of a unit for handling ply material;

FIG. 53 is view of a pair of diverging chutes of the ply materialhandling unit;

MATERIAL HANDLING ASSEMBLY The MH unit 107 (FIGS. 3, 52-53) comprises astorage device 933 for holding at least two rolls of ply material infabric wrapping to permit replacement of a depleted roll withoutdisrupting operation of the unit. An overhead conveyor 934 is disposedin surmounted relation to the floor conveyors 911 for carrying plymaterial from the storage device 93-3. A cutter 935 is disposed abovethe overhead conveyor 934 for bias cutting predetermined lengths of plymaterial for deflection into a pair of oppositely disposed chutes 936and 937, which diverge toward the parallel oor conveyors 911 leading tothe l-Ply unit 102 and 2-Ply unit 103.

A structural frame 938 is positioned adjacent each floor conveyor 911. Aset of electric eyes 939 and 940 are disposed on the frame 938 forsensing ply material on the chutes 936 and 937. A pair of lightprojectors 941 3,832,261 Patented Aug. 27, 1974 and 942 are mounted onthe frame 938 for transmitting a pair of parallel light lines on thefloor conveyors 911. An operator at the floor conveyor 911, takes theply material from the chutes 936 and 937 and splices them together onthe conveyors 911 into continuous sheets of first and second plymaterial with properly oriented cords. It is important that none of thesplices fall within the projected light lines, since it is predeterminedthat the ply material will be cut on the bias by the cutter assemblies636 somewhere between these two lines. As previously indicated, thecutter tears rather than cuts the ply material on the bias. It isnecessary that only one layer of ply material falls into position forcutting or tearing by the cutter assembly 636. If the splice fallswithin the light lines, the operator will recut the preceding piece byhand to reposition thesplice from between the light lines. The lightprojectors 941 and 942 are adjustable along a drive screw 943 which ishand operated.

The diverging chutes 936 and 937 are mounted on a table frame 944. Thechutes 936 and 937 are secured at their upper marginal edges, to a plate945 which is coextensive with the width of the chutes 936 and 937. Acouple of tubes 946 and 947 with air holes are secured to the plate 945and are attached to an air pump for sending a stream of air down thesurfaces of the chutes 936 and 937. A set of similar air tubes 948 and949 are provided near the bottom edges 950 and 951 of the chutes 936 and937 to strengthen the air stream, such that the ply material will slidedown the chutes on a cushion of air.

A deector or baille 952 is secured to a rotatable pivot rod 953 spanningthe chutes 936 and 9'37. The deflector 952 is provided with curved ends954 and 955 extending on either side of the pivot rod 953. An aircylinder 956 is provided for rotating the deector 952 into and out ofengagement with a shield 957 mounted adjacent the head roller 958 of theoverhead conveyor 934, in ply material receiving relation to theconveyor 934. When the dellector 952 engages the shield 957 as shown inheavy line, the ply material passes over the topside 959 of thedeilector 952 and is deflected down the chute 937. When the deflector952 is disengaged from the shield 957 as shown in the dotted position,the ply material engages the underside 960 of the deflector 952 and isdeflected down the other chute 936. A pair of hand cranks 961 and 962are used to adjust the lateral position of the bottom edges 950 and 951of the chutes 936 and 937. The ply material, as it moves down the chutes936 and 937, is in proper cord oriented relation for splicing to thecontinuous sheets of first and second ply material already formed on theconveyors 911. The action of the ply material as it is reverselydirected down the chute 936 is tantamount to taking a piece of plymaterial from the chute 937 and .flipping it over on its reverse side,which is literally what must be done to properly orient the two plies.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination,

(a) a supply of rubberized cord plies,

(b) iirst and second ply receiving conveyors,

(c) first and second fixed chutes diverging from their upper marginsbetween said supply and said conveyors,

(d) pivot means between said supply and said chutemargins,

(e) dellector means having first and second end portions straddling saidpivot, and

(f) means to selectively guide a ply over said first end portion andsaid first chute to said trst conveyor, and over said second end portionand said second chute to said second conveyor.

2. The combination of claim 1, which includes:

- (g) means for providing a stream of air adjacent the surfaces of thechutes on which the ply material slides.

' v References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,428,510 2/1969 Jones et al.156-406 2,936,813 5/ 1960 Haase 156-126 1,425,147 8/1922 Subers et al.156-516 4 1,944,389 11/1934 Abbott, Jr. 156-128 2,962,083 11/ 1960Hasselquist 156-405 FOREIGN PATENTS 556,603 4/ 1958 Canada 156-405 XCLIFTON B. COSBY, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.

